Oreostemma peirsonii

Peirson's aster

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Peirson's aster is a California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada Mountains on rocky slopes, ridges, and dry meadows at elevations of 3,000 to 3,800 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces white ray flowers 12 to 16 millimeters long with distinctive glandular stems and leaves. Growing with compact stems just 2 to 7 centimeters tall, it forms dense, low-growing clusters in alpine environments. Its leaves are narrow and linear, densely covered with short glandular hairs that give the plant a distinctive sticky texture. The flower heads feature leaf-like phyllaries with tan edges and soft, slightly hardened bracts.

Habitat: Rocky slopes, ridges, dry meadows

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 3000-3800 m

Bioregions: s SNH.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.